To help address a state shortage of healthcare workers, Goodwin University recently applied to the Connecticut Department of Public Health Board of Examiners for Nursing for approval to offer a new Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) certificate program. The Board has accepted the application, and a hearing date is scheduled for March 20.
Students in the program can earn their certificates in as few as 16 months, full time, and will be prepared to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN). LPNs find work in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes, private clinics and rehabilitation centers. The Goodwin program will be offered at its East Hartford campus as well as at the University of Bridgeport campus.
Goodwin responded to a similar shortage in 2004 by launching its first nursing program. Twenty years on, the school is widely recognized for its offerings in nursing and other health-related fields. With 3,754 graduates, the nursing department encompasses various programs including Associate Degree in Nursing (RN), Accelerated BSN, RN-to-BSN, Master of Science in Nursing, APRN Family Nurse Practitioner, and APRN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
On January 30, Dr. Michael Pardales, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs, Dr. Vivienne Friday, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, and Karyn Therrien, Director of the LPN program, welcomed State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) to Goodwin’s East Hartford campus to tour the new educational and clinical facilities. “There is a such a wide spectrum of career opportunities in healthcare right now,” explained Dr. Pardales. “The addition of the LPN program will help ensure that our academic offerings are in sync with the workforce needs.”
Senator Anwar, who is also a medical doctor specializing in lung diseases, critical care medicine, and occupational and environmental medicine, is co-chair of the Public Health Committee and a vocal advocate for healthcare careers in Connecticut’s workforce, calling for an improved pipeline to jobs to be among the state’s critical priorities for 2024. “It was a pleasure to tour Goodwin’s new laboratory location and learn more about the new offerings it will provide for its students and our state,” he said. “It reaffirms the school’s commitment to producing trained and prepared professionals ready to meet healthcare needs in demand now more than ever. I will continue to lend my support to Goodwin and its hundreds of annual graduates who play a vital role in our communities protecting public health, and I look forward to its application being heard by the state Health Department and Nursing Board.”
Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwin University was founded in 1999, with the goal of serving a diverse student population with career-focused degree programs that lead to strong employment outcomes.